Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

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Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/16/04 at 9:45pm

Has anyone ever seen a musical that you thought was lackluster, uninspiring or downright poor? I bet many of us have. Did any of those underwhelming shows have 1 great song in them that you really loved, despite the weakness of the overall musical?

For me, it is the song "Day by Day" which was a part of the musical "Godspell". I loved "Day by Day" and today it's a very well known song. Besides that one song, I personally found Godspell to be a pretty wretched musical.

What other outstanding songs from mediocre/bad musicals come to mind for you all?

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/16/04 at 9:49pm

"He Touched Me" from "Drat! The Cat!"

"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/16/04 at 9:50pm

I could swear we've had this discussion before...

BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"

Updated On: 5/16/04 at 09:50 PM

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/16/04 at 11:52pm

"Another Suitcase in Another Hall", Evita

Well, not terrific. But something tolerable in a really annoying score.

Updated On: 5/16/04 at 11:52 PM

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/16/04 at 11:59pm

Meadowlark in The Baker's Wife.

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 12:06am

"Half the Battle" in "Ben Franklin in Paris."

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 12:09am

"Step to the Rear" in "How Now Dow Jones."

Two songs in "Wildcat"--"Hey, Look Me Over," "Tall Hope."

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 2:38am

Second Thoughts in "Is There Life After High School"

Its Aberqurque NM for me. Speaking Spanish. Be Back September 06.

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 6:06am

Memory from Cats

Poster Emeritus

#10

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 7:05am

Completely disagree about "Is There Life After High School?" being a lackluster musical. On the other hand, I consider it one of the unsung gems of the genre. Carnelia's score is chock full of little masterpieces, and the orignal cast was terrific, including now-perennial movie character man Ray Baker.

#11

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:39am

"Is There Life" is terrible. I've done the show. There's some spark in the monologues but the piece never becomes anything, it doesn't progress. Carnelia's songs are quaint melodies but they don't move anywhere or advance story or character. They're no more interesting than their titles.

Back on thread, 'I Won't Send Roses' is probably one of the best showtunes ever written in a show I couldn't sit through on a dare.

#12

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:50am

And if we have to pick a song in Is There Life After High School? as the terrific one, my vote would go to Diary Of A Homecoming Queen, which makes me cry every time I listen to it.

Nothing precious, plain to see, don't make a fuss over me. Not loud, not soft, but somewhere inbetween. Say sorry, just let it be the word you mean.

#13

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 1:46pm

"Disneyland" is a great song stuck in the horrid beauty-contest musical, "Smile".

Then from out of the blue, and without any guide, you know what your decision is, which is not to decide... I chose and my world was shaken, so what? The choice may have been mistaken; the choosing was not. Just keep moving on... --Sondheim

#14

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 2:05pm

Two songs in 'Romeo and Juliet - the Musical'L: "Two Different Worlds" and "Empty Sky"

Tendres Baisers
Juliette Capulet

#15

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 2:08pm

"It's a Fish" is a wonderful comic number from "The Apple Tree".
"The Sweetest Sounds" is a nice ballad from Rodgers' "No Strings".

... and I love just about every number in "Is There Life After High School"! I've seen a couple different productions of it. "The Kid Inside" and "Diary of a Homecoming Queen" really stand out.

"Singing is the lowest form of communication" - Homer

#16

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 4:13pm

I'll state a few obvious ones

"50 percent" from Ballroom
"Mama, A Rainbow" from Minnie's Boys
"I Do not know a Day I did not Love You" from Two by Two (also partial to "The Golden Ram" from that show)
"If i Have to live alone" from Baker's Wife

"When you're a gay man, you have to feel good about yourself when a urologist says, "Yeah. I pick you". - Happy Endings

#17

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 4:22pm

Bari - nice choices. I happen to like "An Old Man" from Two-by-two. Its a beautiful song.

"I don't really get the ending,all i can go with is when after several months,Judith saw Pat sang,and later she kissed him on the toilet,after that the story back to where Pat went down from the stage after he'd sung,and he went to the italian lady.I just don't get it,what Judith exatcly meant when he kissed Pat that she had seen,and did Pat end up together with The Italian Lady?Please help me,thank u very much!" Quote from someone on IMDB in reference to a movie he/she didn't understand. Such grammar!

#18

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 7:52pm

"Once Upon A Time" from ALL AMERICAN. My favorite last call piano bar song.

But Dano! The whole APPLE TREE score is magic, especially by today's standards!

"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling

#19

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:17pm

I know we've done this before, but "Our Kind of Love" from THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

#20

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 8:52pm

"Come With Me to Jail" from BOYS FROM SYRACUSE.

-d.b.j-

Vary My Days.

#21

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/17/04 at 11:22pm

From LaChiusa's Wild Party, "People Like Us" always stood out to me. I kind of felt like he wrote every song to outdo the one before it but this one is the only one, for me, that actually accomplishes that.

#22

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/18/04 at 6:08am

To John Papa

I am surprised. I saw Mack & Mabel & enjoyed it. The score was maybe the best Herman ever wrote & should have won the Tony. Extremely listenable cast album

Poster Emeritus

#23

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/18/04 at 6:28am

'Age of the Cathedrals' from Notre Dame de Paris. It had quite a good overture, and then this song came along and I was thinking "This show could be really good". Then I was bored silly for the next two and a half hours.

#24

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/18/04 at 8:55am

Not that it is a bad musical but i love the song, not many people outside broadway world radio have heard it.

Bring me to light - violet.

#25

re: Terrific Song in a Lackluster Musical

Posted: 5/18/04 at 9:26am

Auggie -

You're right. That whole score is not bad, but "It's a Fish" really stands out for me.

"Singing is the lowest form of communication" - Homer

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